Highest-Ridership Ferry Systems
US passenger ferry operators ranked by annual unlinked passenger trips. · 2024 report year
This table ranks 39 US ferryboat operators by annual ridership for 2024. 39 agencies reported ferryboat service in total, carrying 69.5 million trips between them.
Washington State Ferries leads at 18.9 million trips.
| # | Agency | Location | Annual trips | Annual trips | Operating expense | Farebox |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington State Ferries | Olympia, WA | 18,859,209 | 18,859,209 | $354 million | 17% |
| 2 | New York City Department of Transportation | New York, NY | 16,214,706 | 16,214,706 | $190 million | — |
| 3 | New York City Economic Development Corporation | New York, NY | 7,116,129 | 7,116,129 | $85.3 million | 27% |
| 4 | Port Imperial Ferry Corporation | Weehawken, NJ | 4,694,357 | 4,694,357 | $24.7 million | 174% |
| 5 | Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority | Falmouth, MA | 2,920,002 | 2,920,002 | $114 million | 31% |
| 6 | San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority | San Francisco, CA | 2,388,379 | 2,388,379 | $60.3 million | 21% |
| 7 | Puerto Rico Maritime Transport Authority | Guaynabo, PR | 1,595,365 | 1,595,365 | $45.2 million | 14% |
| 8 | Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District | San Francisco, CA | 1,421,356 | 1,421,356 | $42.6 million | 31% |
| 9 | North Carolina Department of Transportation -- Ferry Division | Raleigh, NC | 1,377,381 | 1,377,381 | $49.3 million | — |
| 10 | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | Boston, MA | 1,359,001 | 1,359,001 | $24.6 million | 36% |
| 11 | SeaStreak, LLC | Atlantic Highlands, NJ | 1,310,972 | 1,310,972 | $25.5 million | 108% |
| 12 | Kitsap County Public Transportation Benefit Area Authority | Bremerton, WA | 1,229,269 | 1,229,269 | $20.9 million | 23% |
| 13 | Casco Bay Island Transit District | Portland, ME | 1,090,868 | 1,090,868 | $9.4 million | 42% |
| 14 | Hyannis Harbor Tours, Inc. | Hyannis, MA | 928,922 | 928,922 | $23.9 million | 143% |
| 15 | Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority | Sault Sainte Marie, MI | 877,244 | 877,244 | $4.2 million | 57% |
| 16 | New Orleans Regional Transit Authority | New Orleans, LA | 836,782 | 836,782 | $11.2 million | 11% |
| 17 | Cape May Lewes Ferry | New Castle, DE | 746,699 | 746,699 | $24.2 million | 22% |
| 18 | Plaquemines Port, Harbor and Terminal District | Belle Chasse, LA | 629,214 | 629,214 | $4.0 million | 6% |
| 19 | Chatham Area Transit Authority | Savannah, GA | 613,230 | 613,230 | $1.3 million | 81% |
| 20 | Maine Department of Transportation | Augusta, ME | 459,680 | 459,680 | $14.7 million | 43% |
| 21 | County of Pierce | Tacoma, WA | 450,636 | 450,636 | $7.7 million | 42% |
| 22 | King County | Seattle, WA | 446,838 | 446,838 | $10.2 million | 17% |
| 23 | Jacksonville Transportation Authority | Jacksonville, FL | 424,242 | 424,242 | $3.9 million | 37% |
| 24 | Chicago Water Taxi (Wendella) | Chicago, IL | 384,914 | 384,914 | $1.2 million | 185% |
| 25 | City of Baltimore | Baltimore, MD | 238,639 | 238,639 | $1.3 million | — |
| 26 | Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads | Hampton, VA | 209,064 | 209,064 | $2.5 million | 10% |
| 27 | Chemehuevi Indian Tribe | Havasu Lake, CA | 140,425 | 140,425 | $1.2 million | 53% |
| 28 | Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation | Nespelem, WA | 137,731 | 137,731 | $962,735 | — |
| 29 | Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company, dba: MTA Metro-North Railroad | New York, NY | 127,115 | 127,115 | $5.1 million | 2% |
| 30 | City of Fort Lauderdale | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 110,348 | 110,348 | $258,987 | — |
| 31 | Inter-Island Ferry Authority | Craig, AK | 48,554 | 48,554 | $4.4 million | 47% |
| 32 | Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District | Moline, IL | 39,988 | 39,988 | $835,845 | 23% |
| 33 | Rhode Island Department of Transportation | Providence, RI | 35,592 | 35,592 | $1.4 million | 27% |
| 34 | Isle au Haut Boat Services | Stonington, ME | 22,671 | 22,671 | $970,075 | 41% |
| 35 | Seldovia Village Tribe | Seldovia, AK | 15,071 | 15,071 | $693,448 | 97% |
| 36 | Town of Cranberry Isles | Islesford, ME | 3,460 | 3,460 | $104,372 | 36% |
| 37 | New Bourbon Regional Port Authority | Perryville, MO | 3,333 | 3,333 | $131,947 | 7% |
| 38 | Port of Administration Authority | Pago Pago, AS | 2,686 | 2,686 | $625,966 | 13% |
| 39 | Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority | Oklahoma City, OK | 2,286 | 2,286 | $976,647 | 1% |
Other rankings
- Cheapest Heavy Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 16 systems
- Most Expensive Heavy Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 16 systems
- Highest-Ridership Heavy Rail Systems 16 systems
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Heavy Rail Systems 16 systems
- Cheapest Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 22 systems
- Most Expensive Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 22 systems
- Highest-Ridership Light Rail Systems 22 systems
- Cheapest Commuter Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 24 systems
- Most Expensive Commuter Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 24 systems
- Highest-Ridership Commuter Rail Systems 27 systems
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Commuter Rail Systems 24 systems
- Cheapest Bus Systems by Cost per Rider 40 systems
- Most Expensive Bus Systems by Cost per Rider 40 systems
- Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies 40 systems
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Large Bus Systems 40 systems
- Highest-Ridership Bus Rapid Transit Systems 20 systems
- Highest-Ridership Streetcar Systems 25 systems
- Most Expensive Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services by Cost per Rider 40 systems
- Highest-Ridership Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services 40 systems
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Open this in Ask NTD →Source & method. Figures are from the Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database (NTD) annual reporting for 2024, the most recent published report year. Cost per rider is operating expense divided by unlinked passenger trips. Farebox recovery is fare revenue divided by operating expense. Ten-year trends are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; single-year figures are as reported. Agencies self-report to the NTD, and reporting practice varies, so figures are best read as comparable in magnitude rather than to the cent.